


Lovely

by TrappedDaydreams



Category: The Witcher (TV)
Genre: Cute, F/M, Fluff, Mild Language, and my first ever posted to ao3, feedback is greatly appreciated but please be gentle, my first fanfic in quite a few years!, romantic, sfw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:54:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22142902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrappedDaydreams/pseuds/TrappedDaydreams
Summary: Jaskier x reader. Y/N travels with Geralt of Rivia doing odd jobs, and it’s a happy, peaceful arrangement; until Jaskier catches up with Geralt and takes Y/N’s breath away.
Relationships: Jaskier | Dandelion/Reader
Comments: 29
Kudos: 259





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hey everyone! This is my first attempt at a fanfic in quite a few years, because for whatever reason, 2020 has brought with it a whole lot of inspiration, and I’m so excited to write again! I also recently binged The Witcher, and I’m crushing big time on Jaskier, so that felt like a good place to start! I’m very rusty, so I would appreciate feedback, but please be gentle on this returning writer. I’m so proud of how this piece went after not writing for about three years, I may even make a part 2 to this, so I hope you enjoy it! This is also posted to my Tumblr account @fanficfeeling, and this is my first ever post to AO3!

Y/N is finally beginning to make a good living doing odd jobs in her hometown when she meets Geralt of Rivia. He shows up to deal with some odd beast in the woods nearby, and Y/N is happy to offer her assisting services to the Witcher, who eventually can't ignore her offer anymore when he realizes he needs the assistance of someone who knows the area better than he does. Y/N assists him with little fuss, because it's what she does, and maybe, just maybe, the townspeople will toss her a coin too for helping him when all is done (turns out, they never do). When it seems that he actually doesn't mind her presence or her help, she asks to come with him when he leaves her small corner of the world, because maybe she can make an even better living going where he goes, since it seems all he does is follow trouble. Oddly enough, he agrees to the arrangement. 

They quickly became an excellent silent tag team of sorts. He goes to the newest monster, and Y/N follows him to wherever they reign devastation, to offer any help she can to those in need, temporarily. He gets the coin for his end, she gets the coin for hers, and they pool it, making more than enough coin for them both, and somehow helping people along the way.

Y/N's new life is good, at the end of the day, with good money, fulfilling work, and decent company to fill her days, and this peace goes undisturbed for quite a good while. That is, until Jaskier catches up with Geralt.

The pair stopped at an inn after moving on from their last area in need, and, as per usual, they ordered their drinks and sat in a corner in near total silence, enjoying some peace and quiet after witnessing a whole lot of suffering. 

"Geralt! So wonderful to see you, I've really been looking for you everywhere, I have a request to make of my dear friend." The brunette bard slides onto the seat next to Geralt, and the Witcher grunts in protest.

"Jaskier."

The bard appears to mock offense, "How lovely to see you too, Geralt! And here I was hoping you'd been missing me-" He trails off as he lays his eyes on the lady sitting across from him, and his mouth drops open in awe quickly. The lady shifts uncomfortably as he stares, and her eyes quickly shift to her travelling companion. 

"Geralt, do you... know this man?" 

The Witcher grunts once again uncomfortably, "Unfortunately."

Jaskier speaks once again, never able to keep his mouth shut for long, "C'mon, Geralt aren't you going to introduce us? Me, your best friend in the world and this stunning woman who I can only hope is also just your friend and also not insane like your taste in women usually implies?"

Geralt stares at him blankly, hoping on everything holy the bard would move on and not try to "woo" his new partner in crime, but he knew that was highly unlikely, so he settled on giving him this; "Y/N, this is Jaskier, not my friend. Jaskier, Y/N, my travelling companion." 

Jaskier decided quickly enough that that mediocre introduction would suffice, and took it from there.

"Hello, fair Y/N, Geralt does me no service. I'm Jaskier, a bard some would say of exceptional talent, I wrote 'Toss a Coin to Your Witcher', ever heard of it? I'm sure you have, it's about him!" He breaks briefly to jam his thumb in Geralt's direction, "And may I just say, you are very lovely and I hope that when he says that you're his 'travelling companion', he doesn't mean you're sleeping with him, because I would love to buy you a drink this evening."

Y/N is caught off guard by Jaskier's quick mouth and forward language, but she has to admit, the man is not unappealing. Despite his initial, uncomfortable staring, his eyes are soft as he looks at her, not menacing, and his words don't seem disingenuous; she could bet money on the fact that he really does think she's lovely. As much as she enjoys Geralt's company, she could of course do with some company that wasn't miserable or silent, and Jaskier brought a smile to her face in a way no one had for a while. Besides everything else, he's attractive, and the first man in a long time, if ever, to show genuine interest in her like this.

Once over her shock, she smiles at him. "Alright, Jaskier, I'm almost at my limit for tonight, but I suppose one more drink really couldn't hurt, if you must insist." Feeling bold with his genuine flirtations, she takes a chance and throws a wink his way, punctuating her sentence with it. 

The change in atmosphere is sharp as a grin lights up Jaskier's entire face, one that makes Y/N's heart have palpitations as her stomach flops, and for the first time since Y/N met him, Geralt is stunned, and nearly drops his drink. Jaskier, lighting up the whole room with his smile, doesn't take his opportunity for granted. 

"Right! Excellent! So glad you feel that way! I will order you a drink, and in return I want to know more about you, deal?"

Y/N can't help but feel lightheaded at the idea of this man really wanting to get to know her. "Deal."

Without questioning his luck, Jaskier quickly runs off to fulfill his end of the deal, leaving Y/N and Geralt in silence once more.

"Not to pry, for fear of damaging our professional relationship, but... really?" Geralt says, breaking the silence once more.

Y/N laughs. "He seems a decent enough man, and it's hard to find someone that earnest nowadays. Unless you have any cautionary tales, about your 'best friend in the world'?"

Geralt rolls his eyes at her comment, but says nothing. For everything annoying he sees in Jaskier, and as much as he pushed him away, it was rare that he found someone who was actually willing to entertain him. Despite how many people Jaskier goes to bed with, Geralt knows just as well that the bard's intentions were pure enough; he just needed someone to get on the same page as him.

"He's not totally incompetent, I'll give him that, and he's not harmful. Do what you will." Geralt mutters, then stands. "I'll get out of your way. I've seen enough of that boy's flirting to not want to watch his attempts at you."

Y/N laughs again. "Well, I thank you for the privacy, and by your standards, that seems a glowing recommendation for him, so I'll give him an honest shot. I value your opinion."

Geralt freezes. So that's what it feels like: mutual respect. He could get used to that. "We head out tomorrow morning." Y/N nods at him as he walks away.

She's not alone for long as Jaskier returns quickly, two drinks in hand, sliding into the spot across from her once more. He doesn't question where Geralt went, but he's relieved by the privacy. 

"Now, your turn. Tell me about you. How does a lovely creature such as you end up travelling with Geralt of Rivia?"

She tells him. She recaps her life as it lead up to her career, and tells him of how she met Geralt, and tells him about her travels with the near infamous WItcher. And hanging on the edge of his seat every moment, Jaskier listens.

As Y/N brings him up to date on her best stories, Jaskier sighs almost wistfully, "You're so interesting. Your life would make for amazing songs."

Y/N's laugh graces his ears. "Would it now? I never figured odd jobs would make entertaining musical material."

Jaskier sits up straight from where his head had lain in his hand, staring at Y/N as she spoke. "You do good things, and you're so... interesting. You've come so far in your life, you travel with one of the most interesting men in the world, all to do some good, even when it's hard. You're incredible."

Y/N feels her cheeks begin to glow a bright red at his praise. Her job was often thankless, so to hear someone say she did good, and that her good was fascinating enough to be acknowledged, felt like a warm hug after getting caught in a rainstorm. 

"Thank you, Jaskier, I... don't get compliments like that often. I was under the impression that I'm pretty boring."

Jaskier feigned alarm, "You? I can't see anyone ever finding you boring, how could anyone with a goal and a story to tell be boring? And frankly, I quite think you deserve all the compliments, my lady." 

When she began to think that she'd found the perfect man after only knowing him for one night, Y/N decides that she may have had just a tad too much to drink, and decides to call it a night. She coughs nervously.

"Well, I, uh- thank you, Jaskier. That's very kind of you. YOU are very kind. I've never had someone call me interesting, or listen to me so intently for so long, and it's a testament to your good character. This has been wonderful, and I thank you for the drink, but I'm quite tired and we ride out early tomorrow, so I'd best be headed to bed. Thank you for the drink, Jaskier." She pauses as she stands. "And your company."

As she walks away, Jaskier feels his heart beating through his chest, and the harsh thumping of it has him reeling. She enjoyed his company. She thought he was nice. She was willing to give him a chance. And she was... lovely. He got so swept up in her that he forgot he even had something to ask Geralt.

The next morning, after Jaskier had barely slept, he made sure to meet the adventuring pair as they head out once more. He fully intended on asking his favor of Geralt and going on his merry way.

Until Y/N stepped out that door, all misty-eyed and looking like a goddess, and when Geralt asked him what the fuck he wanted, all Jaskier could think to ask was, "Will you please take me with you?" She was too beautiful to let slip out of his hands, not when he was in like this, and she made his mind so blank and dizzy, but so ripe with inspiration at the same time. Being near her seemed a drug he would happily indulge in. 

She offered him a ride on her horse, Cinnamon, when Geralt very reluctantly agreed to let him tag along. With his arms wrapped around her waist, he panicked that she could feel the intense beating in his chest. So he reverted to his best coping mechanism, and he sang; a song he had written the night before, about a very pretty woman who had traveled so far from home to spread good throughout the world. She grinned the entire time he sang.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 3 times Jaskier has done his best to distract Y/N from the less enjoyable parts of her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey everyone! Wow! Part 1 received far more positive feedback than I thought it would! I'm super grateful to everyone who read part one, or left a comment, or was just very encouraging, you've really helped re-spark my love for writing <3 Boy, this took way too long to finish, but I just really wanted to make sure it held up the first part at least a little! I hope you enjoy this part as well, and I'm planning on writing at least one more part to this after this, so let me know if your interested in that/how much more of this story you're interested in seeing! Either way I'm planning on continuing to write for The Witcher, and on starting to post for other fandoms so if you like my work please follow or just keep an eye out! Love you guys.

Y/N found out rather quickly that spending time with Jaskier is a surefire way to bring a smile to her face. Her job can be depressing, Geralt is often silent at the most inopportune times, and travelling for such long distances can be boring, but Jaskier is none of those things, and often goes out of his way to grab her attention from that which brings down her mood.

For instance, moments like this one: Y/N has returned to this small town's inn after helping the townspeople for the day, feeling like the weight of the world is on her shoulders after the day she's had. Geralt hasn't returned from his monster slaying yet, so she seeks out Jaskier for company.

When she finds him in his room, he's laying on his bed, writing something down on a piece of paper haphazardly, using his propped-up knee as a work surface. As impractical as the position seems, he looks comfortable: laid back, his normal, fancier wear tossed aside for a simple white shirt and comfortable trousers, and a smile upon his face. It take Y/N all of a second to decide that the look does him great justice.

"Jaskier." Y/N starts, making him aware of her presence.

He looks up, briefly startled, but when his eyes come to rest on her, his smile widens, "Hello, Y/N."

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm back in for the evening."

"I'm glad! It was getting boring around here with no company. Please, come in, sit down." Y/N expects him to gesture to the chair against the wall in invitation, but he simply moves his feet and makes room on his bed for her. She means to be more proper about coming into his space, but as she approaches, she finds that she ends up throwing herself down onto the bed, her exhaustion weighing down her bones.

This seems to be the first time Jaskier notices her mood is off, "Hey, everything alright?"

Y/N looks at him sheepishly, "Just a long day is all. How was yours?"

Taking the hint that she wasn't up for talking about it, Jaskier indulges her, "I started writing a new song today, and I have to admit, it's taken up pretty much all of my time. It's-"

It's all Y/N can do to stay focused on his words for that long, as images of ill people, broken homes, and crying children fill her mind. This town is lucky to have an inn still standing, considering all the havoc beasts nearby have caused. Why must monsters even have to exist like this at all? Why must innocent people suffer for mindless, bloodthirsty crazes? Why does Y/N dedicate herself to cleaning up messes that aren't even hers?

"Y/N?" She looks up at Jaskier at the sound of his persistent voice, and it isn't until she attempts to speak that she realizes she's begun crying. She also finds that she can't find anything to say to him to make an excuse for her state.

He doesn't question any further though, and swiftly gives her a soft smile, before setting aside his papers and opening his arms, beckoning her towards him.

She doesn't even think about it as she crawls towards him and re-positions herself so that he can envelop her in a hug, as she lays her head against his chest. Just being there quickly quiets the tears, but Jaskier doesn't let go, and for that Y/N is grateful.

They sit in silence as Y/N calms herself, and eventually Jaskier leans down a little bit to kiss her forehead and whisper, "Whatever you've been through, please just remember that I'm here for you and that your soul is good, and deserves to be returned the help and goodness that you give."

Oh yeah, that's why she does it all. However hard it can be, it's the good she does that keeps her moving.

~~~

The next time Jaskier goes out of his way to lift Y/N's mood, Y/N and Geralt are sitting at a table in another tavern, completely silent. Normally Y/N has no issues with respecting their silence, she often enjoys it, but her work involved a lot of repairs today, and she barely had any human connection at all throughout the day. She fidgets, doing her best not to disturb Geralt as he seems to contemplate something—she knows he has his own demons swimming around in his mind—but she worries that if she doesn't do something stimulating soon, she very well might burst.

Jaskier descends from the rooms above the tavern space, looking to begin his own work for the night as an entertainer. He had gotten permission from the owner of this establishment earlier in the day to perform in the space, and as it got on into the evening, he knew that now was his prime time. He had cleaned himself up, decided on his song list, and was ready to go.

As he looked around the tavern sizing up his audience, his eyes came to rest upon his travelling companions. Geralt seems lost in thought, and Y/N... Y/N seems downright bored. Knowing that she's been having a rough go of it lately with her work, Jaskier quickly decides that he cannot let this stand.

He swiftly changes his course and makes his way towards their table, a plan only half formed in his mind, and when he stops in front of them he finds himself asking, "Y/N, could I ask a favor of you?"

She looks at him, curiosity in her eyes and a soft smile on her mouth—a goddess in the flesh, he thinks—and he continues, "I have some songs that I was planning on playing tonight, and I would like to see how they fare as duets. Would you join me?"

Jaskier doesn't know by what miracle she says yes, and neither does she, really, but soon the two fall into a groove that brings the attention, and coin, of the patrons. They stumble through the first few songs, rousing some laughs from their audience, until they get to "Toss A Coin To Your Witcher", and the audience joins in singing with them. The pair puts on a show as they sing and they dance, and the audience adores it.

After a rendition (or several) of Jaskier's hit song, many of their audience members start to fall away, so the bard takes that as a hint to start slowing things down.

"Y/N, how would you feel about rounding this performance off by performing "Her Sweet Kiss" with me?"

Y/N's heart skips a beat. She's heard the way he sings that song, and the emotion he puts into it is always enough to bring her near to tears.

"I would be honored."

He starts the beginning off himself, and cues her when to come in. "So tell me love, tell me love, how is that just?" Jaskier never breaks eye contact with Y/N as they sing, and she utters no complaints as it feels like he bears his soul to her while gazing deeply into hers.

"I'm weak, my love, and I am wanting. If this is the path I must trudge, I'll welcome my sentence, give to you my penance, garroter, jury, and judge."

When Y/N had wished for human interaction, this was not what she had expected, but fuck her if it wasn't far better.

As the song comes to a close, Y/N still can't find it in her to look away from his eyes, but luckily for her, it seems that neither can he. The applause of the crowd goes unnoticed by both until the moment passes on its own.

"Thank you, for doing this with me, Y/N."

"Thank you for asking, Jaskier."

~~~

While traveling is, of course, a luxury, just the act of getting somewhere new isn't always the most enjoyable of activities. Travelling may be an integral part of Y/N's job, but knowing that is rarely enough to make her feel better about her soreness from riding her horse, or the boredom she feels as they slowly move along on empty side roads, past endless fields. Yet, this is ultimately a part of her job, so she grins and bears it for the satisfaction of helping people and the coin it brings.

Jaskier, in all his many observations of this captivating do-gooder, begins to notice that she rarely has a good time between locations. He notices that she has no way to occupy herself, besides just listening to him ramble, and he notices that she doesn't seem to plan on doing anything to remedy that situation. So, he resolves to do so himself. 

"Y/N," He begins as he sits on her horse behind her, one arm wrapped around her waist. "How would you like to play a game?"

"A game? Why?"

"Because I'm terribly bored and would like to hear your lovely voice. Are you in?"

"Oh, uh, I suppose I am, yes."

"Okay then. I spy, with my little eye-" Her laughter that follows is enough to make Jaskier's heart light. Making her laugh always makes him just a little bit happier.

He hears Geralt groan next to them on Roach, and watches in amusement as he begins to trot further up ahead of them.

"What a grumpy, grumpy man. Alright, hush now, or you'll miss the object. Anyways, I spy, with my little eye, something very long and brown."

"Oh, oh, is it the tree trunks?"

"Very close but not quite. Something dusty."

"The road!"

"Ding ding ding! You've got it!" She laughs once more at his enthusiasm.

"My turn then! I spy, with my little eye, something... big and blue." 

Jaskier pretends to think for a moment, and then feigns surprise as he exclaims, "The sky!"

He thinks her joyful laughter is stopping his heart by now, but he's certain he might fall off the horse when she says, "I could preserve this round for a little longer and say 'It was actually your eyes', but that might be a little obvious, huh?"

He rests his head on her shoulder and attempts to look at her face. "That gives me an idea. I spy, with my little eye, something lovely." 

A blush breaks out across her face immediately, but she tries not to make assumptions. "Oh, uh... those flowers on the side of the road?"

"Not quite. A bit closer to me." She swears she can feel his arms tighten around her just a fraction. 

"Then... is it the horse? You two seem to get along quite well." He chuckle is deep, and she can feel the motion against her back. 

"I do love Cinnamon dearly, but you're still a bit off. Try again."

Y/N's breath hitches in her throat, and she glances to the side to look at him, finding him closer than she expected. "Lovely? Is it, uh... me, then?" His smile is enough to make her think her heart will soon burst out of her chest.

"Very good. You're excellent at this. Fancy another round?"

It takes her several minutes to calm down, but she gets into their game again, and sure enough, before either of them even know it, they've reached their destination. They both find themselves a little sad when they have to let go and get off of Cinnamon, but the feeling of being so close doesn't leave either of them for hours. 

Yes, Y/N reflects, everything really does get better with him around.

Yeah, Jaskier thinks, I wouldn't trade a second with her for anything.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N worries that she doesn't do enough for Jaskier in return for all he does for her, just in time for Jaskier to decide that he really wants to tell Y/N just how much she means to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! So sorry to everyone who's been waiting patiently for this part, I had a bunch of major projects pop up all at once and then I got sick, and I wanted to give writing this my full attention! So, finally, here it is! As it stands, this will probably be the last chapter of this particular story, though that may be subject to change, and I will continue to write for Jaskier and other Witcher characters! Thanks to everyone who's supported this as I've rolled it out, it's been a really great welcome back to writing. Here's to more stories to come, and I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Warnings: Language. Self-doubt? If that needs a warning. Sort of cliche? At least, a sort of played-out scenario that I tried to make my own a little bit!

"Geralt," Jaskier began, tapping his fingers against their table in contemplation, "would you be bothered if I told Y/N that I care for her very much?" He lets out a dreamy sigh at the thought.

Geralt raises an eyebrow as he raises his cup to his mouth, "You haven't done so already?"

"Not... in the sense that I'm meaning now." He thinks back to every hug and compliment he's ever given her, and near kicks himself wishing he'd had the courage after any one of them to tell her that he'd give up most everything in his life if she would kiss him just once.

"Hmmm. Why did you even feel the need to ask me? Your lack of my blessing has never stopped you from pursuing anyone before."

Jaskier thinks on that. "She works with you, and moreover, she respects you. You're important to her, and frankly, to me as well, and I'm serious about this. I wouldn't want this to put a strain on anything for anyone."

Geralt can swear he feels his heart warm at Jaskier's words, but he makes no indication of it. "Do what you must then, I won't stop you. I can tell your intentions are pure, Jaskier."

Jaskier finds himself smiling. His intentions are as pure as they come with Y/N, and maybe in finally telling her that she makes his world brighter just be being near, he can finally repay her for doing so.

~~~

"I'm just worried I don't do anything for _him_." Y/N speaks aloud as she walks around the horses, readying them for the evening. "Jaskier helps take so much weight off my shoulders and all I do is dump my problems onto him. He deserves better than that."

Y/N hears Roach make a soft noise. "I just wish I could show him that I appreciate everything he does for me! I've never had anyone that put so much effort into making sure I'm okay before, and I just let him without offering anything in return." 

She drops heavily onto an overturned bucket after she finishes securing the horses, dropping her head into her hands. Truly, she isn't sure how she would get through some days without knowing Jaskier will be there to grace her with a hug at the end of it. His heartfelt smiles, his impassioned words as he sings, the way he carries himself -- it's all enough to make her feel so overwhelmed she might drop dead and more alive than she ever has all at the same time.

"Jaskier means a lot to me, and I would like him to know that I appreciate him. At this rate we'll never be more than-" She stops herself. _No_ , she thinks, _it's not right of me to assume we'll_ _ever be more than_ anything _, never mind what I could do for him_.

She looks up at Cinnamon. "No ulterior motive, it's time I give back to him, don't you think?" 

Cinnamon steps forward and nudges Y/N's shoulder, gently snorting. "Yeah, okay, I get it, put my money where my mouth is. What could I possibly do for him, though? What's something that would speak to him, something on his page that I could use to honestly tell him-" She springs to her feet, abruptly. 

"He's a bard, bards deal in poetry! That might be perfect!" She goes running, only slowly briefly to yell behind her, "Thanks for the encouragement, you two!"

~~~

Jaskier can hardly take his eyes off of Y/N. On a normal day, he's talking Geralt's ear off about anything under the sun as they sit and drink, but today, he just stares at her and wishes she was sitting next to him. They had invited her down to grab a drink with them, but she had declined joining them in favor of sitting at the bar and writing something on piece of paper furiously. "A letter to a family I once helped, to check up on them," she had said.

He had planned to tell her that he loves her tonight. To ask her to come with him, and he would take her to this gorgeous little spot he found by a river as the moon shone down on them, and he would sing to her - but it looks like that won't be happening now.

He wonders about the letter that she's writing; she said it was to a family that she helped, but she very rarely wrote letters to check up on people. Even when she had, it had never taken her this long, or taken so much of her attention. _She_ is _adorable when she's concentrated_.

He watches her toil away, writing things down, stopping, thinking, scratching them out. She wrings her hands nervously every once and a while. She looks like she's trying to pour her soul into something, and Jaskier decides then and there it can't be a letter. At least not to a previous client. To a friend, maybe? A family member? A chiseled, far-away lover? _Oh, god, it can't wait anymore._

He stands, nearly knocking over the table, and he hears Geralt grunt in protest. "Jaskier, what the fuck?"

"I can't loose her to a chiseled, far-away lover!" He asserts, much too loudly for the space he's in as he sprints in her direction.

Y/N thinks she hears Jaskier speaking, so she tears her attention from her work in progress and turns to look in the direction of his table, only to find him standing almost directly in front of her. 

She quickly does her best to cover her mess of paper before he can see, and ends up attempting to shove into into one of her pockets "Jask! What's going on?"

"I'm very sorry to be rude, but I need you to come with me!"

"What? Why?"

"Because your passion concerns me, and I really, _really_ need to tell you something!"

Y/N thinks briefly to ask, _my_ what _?,_ but Jaskier is already in the process of taking her hand and dragging her away.

~~~

When Y/N finds Jaskier dragging her through the woods, she can't help but ask, "Where are you taking me, Jaskier?"

Jaskier is slightly frantic as he responds, "You'll see, I just found this place, and I thought it would be perfect when I told you, and I- please, just trust me."

"I do."

When he drags her into this little clearing by a stream, she starts to see what he meant. The rising moon casts light through the tree branches that reflect off the stream, and the light lapping of the water offers a calm atmosphere, and while Y/N begins to worry about whatever Jaskier has to say if he wished to bring her to such a calming space, she admits it has the desired affect.

Jaskier turns Y/N to face him, and she's sure she's never seen him more nervous. "I'm sorry, this is just... important, and you seemed so focused on what you were doing and I was terrified of whatever you could be so passionate about because I didn't want it to steal you away-" He stops himself.

"What I mean to say is, I really wanted to take you here because I wanted to do something for you. Your... compassion, your humor, your presence, lights up my life and I need you to know that. I don't want you to ever think that I don't care about you because I don't think I care about anyone more. You deserve the world, and I need to know that you understand what I'm trying to say."

At first he thinks his words have the desired affect when he sees tears welling up in her eyes and a disbelieving look on her face, and he lets his heart fill with hope that she knows.

But then, she throws her arms up into the air and screams as she turns away from him, and the hope shatters. Had he ruined it? Did she _actually_ have a secret lover and he just ruined their friendship by saying this to her? Did she just not care for him this way? Did she just not care for him at all? 

Y/N can't stop the guilt-ridden tears. "You wanted to do something for me? You already do everything for me! You always put in all this effort for me and act like I deserve it when I do nothing for you! You're the most thoughtful man I've ever met and I can't even try to do one nice thing for you without you beating me to it! I just-" She lets out another scream.

Jaskier seems frozen, like he doesn't even know what to say. "You think you don't do anything for me?"

Y/N laughs, in the process of pulling that piece of paper out of her pocket, looking down at it dejectedly, "When have I ever done half as much for you as you have for me? That's why I tried writing this, but I can't even try to tell you anything nice without you getting to it first. You're insufferably wonderful, you know that?"

All he does is reach for the paper, gently, and, terrified, she hands it over.

He can hardly believe his eyes as he looks at the mess on the page, all the scribbles and crossed out words, but there, in the middle, a line of thought:

_Every time you speak, my heart soars, and all my troubles seem to disappear from my mind_

_From the moment I met you, I could hardly believe that you were so real, and so kind_

_I looked into your eyes when you got close and lost myself in a sea of blue_

_I'm trying to search for a way to say, I love_

"I know none of it's good, you make it look far easier than it is, but I wanted to-" And it's all she can do to keep herself from squealing as her bard pulls her into his arms and holds her tightly than she ever thought possible, laughing exuberantly. 

He pulls away just far enough to gaze at her face in awe, "It's lovely! All I ever did was to try to repay you for making me inexplicably happy just by being around, and I wanted to say the same thing to you, that I-" He stops himself and looks at her once more for a moment. He's in just as much awe of her now as he was when he saw her sitting across from him the first time he met her. 

He moves his hand to wipe away excess tears staining her cheeks, which are slowing now with her growing hope, and before he can stop himself, he's kissing her.

For one brief moment, everything stops. It seems like not a sound is made, not a thought occurs in either of them, and time stands still, but then all at once their minds come to life in a flurry.

Panting, they pull away, and smiling like idiots, they look into each others eyes once more.

"Y/N, don't ever feel obligated to go out of your way to do things for me. I think just offering me your love would be enough to keep me a happy man for the rest of my life."

Y/N's tears slowly start again, out of joy, this time, and she says, "Then all I could ever ask for is yours in return."

_Maybe I was right that first night, when I thought I'd found the perfect man. Yeah, I think I'm going to be alright with him around._


End file.
